Captains stand tall in close contest
Under 16s:
In a tight contest at Longwarry, Neerim District/Yarragon prevailed.
Batting first, the skipper led by example, as Nic Caddy (26*) got his side off to a good start before Riley Ferguson (24*) and Tom Wans (24) followed his lead. They took a liking to the Crows’ bowling attack to finish with a competitive total of 4-121.
In reply, a captains’ knock early from Daniel Pullen (26*) brought his side into the contest as Finn Fox (20), Toby Jobling (17) and Liam Kirkman (18) all battled hard.
However, it wasn’t enough as dot ball pressure continued to build as Neerim District/Yarragon restricted them to 4-97, coming out on top by 24 runs.
The Titans emerged with a dominant win over the Eagles at home.
Batting first, opening batsmen Matt Jones (24) and Isaac Braaksma (26*) set the tone early before Carter Davis (28*) and Raphael Hayward (19) backed them up. This helped the Titans set up a good innings total of 2-117.
The Eagles came out with good intent in reply to a mediocre effort with the ball. Adam Campbell (19) and Liam Finnegan (25*) were the only resistance in what seemed to be a good display of line and length from the Titans’ bowling attack.
Nicholas Telford (3-13) was the pick of the bowlers, as he helped defend the total as the Eagles fell short, making 7-83 and losing by 34 runs.
The Kangas came away victorious against the Warriors in a competitive contest between two quality sides.
Batting first, at one point they were 2-9 before Liam Serong (21) helped push them further. He departed with his team at 3-43.
This set up a dominant batting display from their middle order, with Alex Henshall (25*) and Brayden Notman (25*) both leaving their mark on the game, the Kangas finishing with 3-128.
In reply, the Warriors put up a good fight, with Patrick Ireland (21) fighting hard at the top of the order, before the Garner boys, Matt and Luke, made 20 and 18, pushing their side closer to victory.
However, it wasn’t enough, as good bowling from the Kangas restricted any freedom for the Warriors. They finished with 6-98, falling short by 30 runs.
Under 14s:
The Panthers were
Bunyip/Catani.
Batting first, Panthers’ skipper and opener Liam big winners
against
Smith-Butterworth dominated with the bat, making 47* off 31 balls. He was a big contributor for his side, who later lost a bunch of wickets in a hurry, 5-17 in fact, before welcoming Addison Cumming to the crease. Cumming made 30 off his 18 balls, helping the Panthers reach a competitive total of 9-128.
In reply, Bunyip/Catani showed determination, however, it wasn’t enough. No batsman got past the 15-run mark, batting their overs out and making a small total of 7-61. They fell short by 67 runs, in a big win for Yarragon, who are looking to make a late push for finals.
The Eagles came away with a crucial victory against their rivals at Drouin.
Batting first, Liam Lisle led the way early before being dismissed for only the second time this season, and in form batsman Will Auldist (22*) helped push his side to a good total.
This left an opportunity for someone to come up big in the crucial moment of the match, and Tom Bingham did just that. He made his highest score of 20* and really helped the Eagles push to 8-104.
Jasim Najam took three wickets for the Hawks, making it an interesting contest as they came out to bat.
In reply, the Hawks showed fight early, until Nate Murphy was brought into the attack, taking career best figures of 4-13 and really putting pressure on the Hawks’ batting order. He and Tom Bingham (3-12) bowled exceptionally well under pressure, helping the Eagles pull away with a big win.
The 22-run win cements the Eagles as a threat to win it all come finals time.
The Warriors again came away with a win against Buln Buln/Hallora.
Batting first, Jack Walsh showed everyone why he is one of the league’s top batsman, making 20*, before Ty Ward made his highest score of the year with 22*. This helped push them to a good total of 5-115, as Jesse Jagoe (2-13) took big wickets early to put the pressure right on the Warriors.
In reply, Buln-Buln/Hallora showed promise, as Brock Sawyer (20*), James Welford (20*) and debutant Riley Eastwell (21*) helped their side during the run chase.
It wasn’t enough as Joseph Simpson (2-10) kept the pressure on, restricting Buln Buln/Hallora to a total of 4-85. They fell short by 30 runs to the Warriors who sit on the top of the table at the Christmas break.
The Titans snatched the win out of the Gulls’ hands late in a hard-fought contest at Warragul.
With the Gulls batting first, a good start from both openers set the platform. Rylan Berryman made the bowlers pay for bad bowling, making 24.
Jake Van Den Berghe took 2-18 and removed both opening batsmen, as the Gulls finish with 580.
In reply, the Titans showed determination to get past the total at hand, as openers Jake Van Den Berghe (20*) and Aaron Braaksma (22*) helped set up a comfortable victory. Archer Burgmann (20*) also contributed big.
However, once these three batsmen left the crease with retirement, the runs really began to come with difficulty, as they scraped past the total.
They lost three late wickets to make it over the line, finishing on 3-87.
Liam West almost helped the Gulls hold on as he took 2-13, both of those wickets coming late in the game.